New MRI scanner aids WARMC docs

BULLHEAD CITY - A head-on accident sent a victim to the ER and left them unable to walk. But the X-rays showed the victim's legs were normal. It was only after the patient got an MRI scan that the bruises appeared that will eventually lead to broken bones.

“I couldn't believe my eyes. I practically flipped out of my chair,” said Dr. Jim Lash, medical director of diagnostic imaging at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center.

“It's dramatically changing our approach to trauma.”

With an early diagnosis of a stress fracture, bruised bones are treated like fractures and are wrapped up or put in a cast so they're allowed to heal. Magnetic resonance imaging technology is capable of showing trauma within minutes of the actual injury by using a STIR Imaging scan, Lash said, with a detail that shows bones, tissues and even individual muscle groups.

It's a big advance from X-ray technology, where bones, muscles and tissues all looked alike. But an MRI scan often involves a cylinder-shaped scanner that is uncomfortable for larger patients and leaves others claustrophobic.

When Open MRIs came on the market, some patients were concerned that the machine would yield lower quality images and Lash himself was dubious. Then a year and a half ago Open MRI began catching up with its closed version and began offering all the features of a closed MRI.

WARMC recently added the Hitachi AIRIS Elite Open to complement its three other computer tomography (CT) scanners, including two hospital-based scanners, another at the hospital's Imaging Center and an MRI at the hospital.

For many patients the open machine minimizes anxiety and claustrophobia by offering a spacious environment and is good for children because they can have their family close to hold their hand.

The AIRIS Elite features technology that can diagnose spinal problems, brain diseases, strokes and multiple sclerosis. It can produce images of the liver without the traditional injections of dye that in the past allowed doctors to view the organ. A magnet allows operators to image any part of the body in any plane, Lash said, and lets medical staff change the parameters of view to see blood or tumors.

“I was relegated to thinking we weren't going to have that capability. When (AIRIS Elite) came out, I practically came flying out of my chair,” Lash said. “I was like, where do I sign?”

Source: http://www.mohavedailynews.com/articles/2007/09/02/news/local/local6.txt